Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the friendship, support, and cooperation of the residents of Superior. We would like to express special gratitude to the following:

City Council

Rick Disney, Mayor

Rodney Rogers

Sandra Foote

Trenton Morris

Craig Hale

Levi Gunn

Darrell Brandt

Planning Commission

Kim Young, Chairperson

Carl Suchsland, Vice Chairperson

Theresa Erickson

Emily Kirchhoff

Logan Christiancy

Angela Henderson

Jim Mitchell

Calvin Hayes

City Administration

Andrew Brittenham, City Administrator

John Hodge, City Attorney

Brenda Corman, City Clerk

Context

Responsibility to Plan

Per Nebraska Revised Statutes (NRS) 19-901(1), municipal governments in Nebraska are granted the authority to regulate land use within their jurisdiction:

For the purpose of promoting health, safety, morals, or the general welfare of the community, the city council of a city of the first class or city of the second class or the village board of trustees of a village may adopt zoning regulations which regulate and restrict the height, number of stories, and size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of lots that may be occupied, the size of yards, courts, and other open spaces, the density of population, and the location and use of buildings, structures, and land for trade, industry, residence, or other purposes.

Authority to Plan

NRS 19-901(2) explains that zoning regulations may not be adopted until a comprehensive plan has been completed, recommended by the Planning Commission, and adopted by the City Council or Village Board of Trustees:

Such powers shall be exercised only after the city council or village board of trustees has established a planning commission, received from its planning commission a recommended comprehensive development plan as defined in section 19-903, adopted such comprehensive development plan, and received the specific recommendation of the planning commission on the adoption or amendment of zoning regulations. The planning commission shall make a preliminary report and hold public hearings on its recommendations regarding the adoption or repeal of the comprehensive development plan and zoning regulations and shall hold public hearings thereon before submitting its final report to the city council or village board of trustees. Amendments to the comprehensive plan or zoning regulations shall be considered at public hearings before submitting recommendations to the city council or village board of trustees.

A public hearing regarding the recommendation of this Comprehensive Plan was held by the City of Superior Planning Commission on [date].

The Planning Commission recommended the adoption of this Comprehensive Plan on [date].

A public hearing regarding the adoption of this Comprehensive Plan was held by the City of Superior City Council on [date].

By approving Ordinance No. [ordinance number], the City of Superior City Council adopted this Comprehensive Plan on [date].

Building the Plan

The Superior Plan is organized into chapters based upon the guidance and requirements listed within NRS 19-903:

  1. A land-use element which designates the proposed general distributions, general location, and extent of the uses of land for agriculture, housing, commerce, industry, recreation, education, public buildings and lands, and other categories of public and private use of land;
  2. The general location, character, and extent of existing and proposed major roads, streets, and highways, and air and other transportation routes and facilities;
  3. The general location, type, capacity, and area served of present and projected or needed community facilities including recreation facilities, schools, libraries, other public buildings, and public utilities and services;
  4. When a new comprehensive plan or a full update to an existing comprehensive plan is developed, an energy element which: Assesses energy infrastructure and energy use by sector, including residential, commercial, and industrial sectors; evaluates utilization of renewable energy sources; and promotes energy conservation measures that benefit the community. This subdivision shall not apply to villages; and
    1. When next amended after January 1, 1995, an identification of sanitary and improvement districts, subdivisions, industrial tracts, commercial tracts, and other discrete developed areas which are or in the future may be appropriate subjects for annexation and (b) a general review of the standards and qualifications that should be met to enable the municipality to undertake annexation of such areas. Failure of the plan to identify subjects for annexation or to set out standards or qualifications for annexation shall not serve as the basis for any challenge to the validity of an annexation ordinance.

Jurisdiction of the Plan

Per NRS 17-1001 (1), the geographical area covered by the City of Superior Comprehensive Plan includes all land within a one-mile area encompassing the city, “the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction of a city shall consist of the unincorporated area one mile beyond and adjacent to its corporate boundaries.”

Map 1.1: Superior Municipal Boundary and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction displays Superior’s corporate boundary and zoning jurisdiction, which includes all lands within the City of Superior and its One-Mile Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). Superior’s land use policies govern all lands within the city as well as the ETJ.1

Superior Municipal Boundary and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction
Superior Municipal Boundary and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction

Existing Land Use

The existing land use (ELU) map provides a visual representation of how land in Superior is being used. It is a snapshot of the current state of the city’s existing land use patterns and helps with the decision-making processes related to land development, zoning regulation, and infrastructure funding.

Map 2.2: Superior Existing Land Use categorizes different areas – typically parcels of land – based on their primary uses today. This map serves as a baseline for inventorying characteristics of Superior that the community hopes to maintain, as well as what the community hopes to change in the next decade. It assists with identifying areas of change or potential growth, as well as with making informed decisions about future development and zoning regulations.2

Superior Existing Land Use
Superior Existing Land Use

Table 2.1 summarizes the distribution of land in Superior by land use category. There are six categories: agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, exempt, and state centrally assessed. Within city limits, commercial and residential uses make up three quarters of all land area, while exempt makes up another 15 percent. Agricultural land just under seven percent, while industrial and state centrally assessed land make up the remainder.

Table 2.1: Existing Land Use - Within Superior City Limits

Land Use Parcels Area (Square Acres) Percent of Total Area
Agricultural 38 74.44 6.74%
Commercial 197 364.42 33.02%
Industrial 3 25.01 2.27%
Residential 1099 468.62 42.47%
Exempt 122 168.91 15.31%
State Centrally Assessed 4 3.77 0.19%

Table 2.2 shows the land use outside of city limits in the extraterritorial jurisdiction. Here, the vast majority of land use is agricultural. While residents and landowners living here do not elect city officials or pay property tax to the city, their lands are nonetheless important to the Superior’s future growth for several reasons:

  1. Growth and Expansion: planning for these adjacent lands will allow the city to make decisions with future growth and expansion plans in mind. As Superior grows, it may annex nearby land to meet demand for housing, infrastructure, and services.
  2. Infrastructure and Utilities: planning ahead helps with efficiently extending existing infrastructure to include water and sanitary extensions, as well as connected street networks.
  3. Economic Development: the city’s adjacent lands will be needed to support the expansion and recruitment of businesses and industries providing goods, services, and jobs.
  4. Environmental Considerations: cities need to consider the environmental impact of adjacent lands. Planning can help identify areas with ecological value, sensitive habitats, or natural resources that should be protected from inappropriate development. It allows cities to implement measures for sustainable land management, conservation, and the mitigation of potential environmental risks.

Table 2.2: Existing Land Use - Within Superior Extraterritorial Jurisdiction

Land Use Parcels Area (Square Acres) Percent of Total Area
Agricultural 190 6137.97 77.56%
Commercial 198 455.42 5.75%
Industrial 7 108.81 1.37%
Residential 1103 474.78 6.00%
Exempt 176 730.45 9.22%
State Centrally Assessed 4 6.79 0.09%

Housing Assessment

In this chapter, we document the condition, status, and needs for housing in Superior. Drawing on a variety of data from the Nuckolls County Property Assessor, various government agencies, and original surveys of Superior residents, we show that Superior has a long-term trend of population decline and housing structures in need of improvement.

Condition of Housing Structures


  1. Superior’s southern boundary is within one mile of the Nebraska-Kansas border. Consequently, the ETJ does not spill over into Kansas and the extent of the ETJ is less than one mile there.↩︎

  2. These uses are designated by the Nuckolls County Property Assessor. While the standards for designation may be debatable, we rely on these because they are largely the most up-to-date.↩︎